Chapter 2, section 3: Indus River Valley Civilization (Harappan)

citadel

an elevated fortress overlooking a city; a stronghold cities were built around them

Indus Valley Civilization (aka Harappan Civilization)

ancient civilization in NW India & Pakistan, along the Indus River flood plain c. 2500-1500 BC

terracotta

baked clay, used for sculpture and as a building material

pictograph

A picture or drawing representing words or ideas

Major seasonal winds They bring moisture in from the Indian Ocean for 1/2 the year, causing the rainy season They take it out to sea during the other half, causing the dry season

Monsoons

1. City planning using grid pattern 2. indoor plumbing & underground drainage systems- long before anyone else 3. standardized weights & measures 4. distillation 5. terracotta (oven-baked clay) bricks of standard sizes

Harappan innovations

Cotton jewelry silver, bronze, copper & tin items woven, dyed cloth decorative beads and buttons terracotta pottery and figurines

Harappan products

Merchants used water and land routes connecting the Indian subcontinent to Egypt, the Middle East, and central Asia

Harappan trade networks

World's tallest mountain range forms the NE border of India & separates it from China

Himalayas

Mountain chain separating Pakistan and northern India from the rest of Asia

Hindu Kush Mountains

Harappan writing system uses pictographs no one has been able to decipher them

Indus script

28 mile gap in Hindu Kush mountain chain that is the only land passage from India into central Asia

Khyber Pass

Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa

The 2 major cities of the Harappan civilization; built of terracotta brick

Indus and Ganges Rivers

most important rivers on the Indian subcontinent

Harappan religion

polytheistic showed strong concern with female fertility

brick-lined pool collected rainwater for drinking and bathing accessed by steps going down

stepwell

Pieces of stone carved with images & writing. These were pressed into the clay used to seal jars or to create clay "id tags." This allowed merchants to identify and track their products. The discovery of these seals is one way archaeologists can tell the Indus Valley people were trading with Mesopotamia and Egypt.

stone seals

A large landmass jutting out from a continent the land containing Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka is an example

subcontinent

Archaeological evidence of a peaceful civilization

the discovery of children's toys and games